MWC – Chapter 3 The Fruit of the Poisonous Tree (Part 1)

I AM DROPPING THIS NOVEL. IF ANYONE WANTS TO CONTINUE THEY CAN. IF POSSIBLE PLEASE SHARE THE LINK SO I CAN BINGE READ TOO.

Courtroom No. 1.

Lu Ming sat quietly, with Zhen Shi beside him, idly playing with her mesmerizing long manicured nails.

Lu Ming felt helpless. This girl is really heartless, does she know we’re about to face the gallows?

The prosecution entered, four or five prosecutors carrying numerous documents, their presence imposing.

Li Mingxuan took the chief seat, and Lu Ming noticed the resentment in his eyes as he stared at him.

But when his gaze fell on Zhen Shi, it became complicated, there was embarrassment, hatred, but also nostalgia and reluctance.

Han Anni entered last, glaring fiercely at Lu Ming.

Lu Ming smiled bitterly, rubbing his nose. First love, ah, first love, seeing you here, I’m happy! Even if you beat me to death, think I’m a scoundrel, I forgive you.

The jury entered, nine people, men and women, all dressed decently.

Although they come from the civilian population, there are strict requirements. Firstly, they must have a decent job.

Education is also required.

This is the empire’s custom; only lawful citizens with stable jobs and a good education have the possibility of ensuring fairness and justice.

Moreover, they were selected from another city far from Wu’an to avoid being influenced by local clans.

But it seems they’re all a bit listless now. This case has lasted for months, tormenting these jurors spiritually and physically.

Close to nine o’clock, three judges entered.

The presiding judge, a thin, old man with a hooked nose, in the fragments of memory, his name is Boris.

For such an important case, it’s only natural for a Westerner to serve as the presiding judge.

Although the Northern Four Provinces are autonomous, many key positions are held by Westerners, from the county level to the chief judges of provincial courts.

In this world, Westerners are called Gryphonians, and the full name of the empire is the Holy Gryphonian Federation Empire.

But because the natives are from the southwest, they’re accustomed to calling them Westerners.

At nine o’clock exactly, Boris pounded the gavel, and the trial officially began.

“In court, I request a change of lawyer!” Lu Ming suddenly stood up. “My lawyer has not fulfilled his duty to defend me to the best of his ability!”

Xie Wenquan was dumbfounded, looking at Lu Ming in confusion.

Li Mingxuan immediately stood up, “Objection, in court, the defendant is merely trying to delay. Changing lawyers will inevitably result in another postponement, giving the new lawyer time to prepare. This case has dragged on for too long, the defendant just wants to drag it out indefinitely, and this case has wasted too many public coins and court resources. The prosecution strongly opposes the defendant’s tricks!”

Boris nodded, “The defendant’s proposal is rejected!”

Lu Ming said, “In that case, I request to represent myself.”

Everyone was surprised again.

“The first defendant, do you know that if you choose to represent yourself, your legal rights will be even harder to protect? I don’t want you to easily find excuses for an appeal.” Boris stared at Lu Ming, then glanced at Xie Wenquan and Li Mingxuan, thinking that it was the seductive lawyer who taught him this, thus finding grounds for an appeal.

Lu Ming nodded, “In court, I have studied at St. John’s Political and Legal University in the provincial capital, and I also have a lawyer’s license. So, I understand very well my rights and obligations if I choose to represent myself.”

Actually, I haven’t graduated yet, but I managed to obtain the lawyer’s license early by greasing some palms, back when the Lu family was still influential.

Boris frowned slightly, looking at Lu Ming, then at Xie Wenquan and Li Mingxuan, beckoning.

Li Mingxuan and Xie Wenquan walked up, with Lu Ming following behind, and the three stood under the high table of the judge’s bench.

“What’s going on?” Boris asked Xie Wenquan in a low voice. “Have you communicated sufficiently with your client?!”

Xie Wenquan had no idea what Lu Ming wanted to do, but since the case was already lost, if this young master Lu was being guided by someone, even if it was a desperate move, as his lawyer, he had to prioritize his client’s interests and help him achieve his intent.

Thinking, Xie Wenquan said, “He didn’t communicate with me at all, so, in court, it seems I have lost the trust of my client. My client also has a lawyer’s license, so there is no reason for you not to allow him to represent himself.”

Behind him, Lu Ming nodded inwardly. Xie Wenquan is actually a decent lawyer.

Li Mingxuan immediately frowned, “In court, this is still their attempt to delay…”

Boris waved his hand, looking at Lu Ming. “You can represent yourself, but you can only summon a maximum of two witnesses for the prosecution!”

With both sides having over a hundred witnesses, if they switch to self-representation, they’ll have to summon each one again, which would take several more months.

Lu Ming nodded, “Understood.”

Upon hearing Boris’s statement, Li Mingxuan visibly relaxed. Seeing Boris looking his way, he quickly said, “Your Honor, the prosecution has no objections.”

Boris waved his hand, and the three of them returned to their respective positions.

“In court, I request to summon the prosecution’s witness Zhao Jinsong!” Lu Ming declared loudly.

The hard wooden chairs, surrounded by three wooden fences, sitting inside, combined with the solemn atmosphere unique to the courtroom, inevitably made one consider the serious consequences of perjury.

Zhao Jinsong was the detective who discovered the body of Long Ye in the trunk of the car.

He was a young man, looking handsome in his black police uniform. He took the oath as he sat in the witness stand, his face full of righteous determination.

Lu Ming quickly reviewed his testimony once again, then slowly stood up and walked to Zhao Jinsong’s front.

Zhao Jinsong adjusted his uniform’s collar with disdainful eyes fixed on Lu Ming.

This playboy, aside from having a better family background, was worthless. Unfortunately, the girl he secretly loved was seduced by him with a bottle of Western perfume and lost her virginity to him. He had wanted him dead for a long, long time.

Lu Ming looked at him and asked calmly, “Witness, what is your relationship with the tainted witness Zhao Yuancheng, who is aligned with the prosecution?”

Zhao Yuancheng, the driver of Long Daxing, was originally supposed to take Lu Ming and Zhen Shi back home, but now he has become a tainted witness.

Zhao Jinsong shook his head, “There’s no relationship.”

“You’re relatives, aren’t you?” Lu Ming stared into his eyes. “Seems like lying has become second nature to you.”

Zhao Jinsong immediately flew into a rage,”A despicable dog about to be strangled yet still so arrogantly defiant, it was simply intolerable. You’re talking nonsense!”

The jury erupted in uproar.

Before Lu Ming could object, Boris frowned and said, “Witness, you only need to answer the defense’s questions. If you continue to insult the defense, I will revoke your status as a witness.”

Li Mingxuan quickly stood up. “In court, Zhao Jinsong and Zhao Yuancheng are only distant relatives. Moreover, their ancestors had enmity over property distribution in the previous generation, leading to estrangement. In this generation…”

“Objection!” Lu Ming raised his hand. “In court, it’s the witness’s testimony now.”

Boris gestured to Li Mingxuan to sit down, and although he reluctantly complied, he kept signaling Zhao Jinsong to remain calm.

Glancing at Lu Ming pacing in front of the witness stand, Li Mingxuan furrowed his brows.

Lu Ming’s intention was clear: to blur the lines and portray the case as if Zhao Jinsong and Zhao Yuancheng had conspired in advance. If so, Zhao Yuancheng’s testimony would be heavily discounted since he hadn’t witnessed Lu Ming and Zhen killing the victim firsthand. If he were a police informant, the jury would surely question whether everything was orchestrated by the police.

After all, Zhao Yuancheng was the one who drove the car; it would have been easy for him to place the body inside. Even if there were indeed tools with Lu Ming’s fingerprints in the car, it was just a fruit knife. The defense had already argued that this knife was used by Lu Ming at Long’s house and was planted to frame him.

Back when Donald was still the Western lawyer, he was quite formidable.

Just as he was pondering, he noticed the supposedly well-connected beautiful female police officer from the provincial capital next to him was about to stand up.

This Officer Han particularly despised idle rich kids, let alone someone like Lu Ming who had an affair with someone’s wife and caused her husband’s death.

However, with the closing arguments imminent, he needed to take full control from now on and not let her steal the spotlight.

“Han Chief, let me handle this!” Li Mingxuan whispered.

Li Mingxuan was very confident.

He had carefully considered every detail of this case, including the distant relation between Zhao Jinsong and Zhao Yuancheng.

It’s just that Long Daxing’s previous defense attorney, the Western barrister Donald, hadn’t touched upon this point, rendering his meticulous preparation useless.

Originally, Lu Ming’s question pleased Li Mingxuan, but unexpectedly, because Zhao Jinsong, this young and ambitious police officer, looked down on Lu Ming, being accused of his character by Lu Ming, he actually lashed out.

This completely caught him off guard.

Li Mingxuan glanced at Xie Wenquan, who was sitting in the defense counsel’s seat.

At this moment, Xie Wenquan seemed calm and composed, pondering Lu Ming’s intentions.

In Li Mingxuan’s eyes, Xie Wenquan appeared utterly unperturbed.

Li Mingxuan gritted his teeth. This was a formidable opponent who had undoubtedly anticipated Lu Ming’s interrogation of Zhao Jinsong and the accusation against Zhao Jinsong’s character, which would enrage him. That’s why he let Lu Ming represent himself.

But it was also unexpected that Lu Ming would remember these words and how to provoke Zhao Jinsong. It’s true, when pushed to the brink, people can indeed unleash their greatest potential.

Glancing deeply at Lu Ming, a coldness flashed in Li Mingxuan’s eyes.

Indeed, I was right; I should make sure you have no chance of recovery, never see the light of day again.

Being able to personally send you to the gallows was something I vowed to do when I was very young, and today, it’s finally happening.

Although you brought this upon yourself, to think that you… would kill for her…

In the corner of Li Mingxuan’s eye, he glanced at that incongruously beautiful figure, which clashed with the atmosphere of the courtroom, and his heart ached once more.